


O' City Lights

by baeconandeggs, Hapkido9061



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Blind Jongin, Director Suho, M/M, Mentions of kidnapping, Some fight scenes, Superhero Baekhyun, Superhero Chanyeol, Swearing, and buildings, destruction of cities, happy-ish ending, injuries, no one dies I promise!, nothing too graphic, organized superhero agencies, power au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:26:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24133552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hapkido9061/pseuds/Hapkido9061
Summary: Chanyeol signed up to be a superhero for the glory and love from all of the people. Wearing tights and working against the world's toughest villain yet are just technicalities of the job.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 23
Kudos: 126
Collections: BAE2020





	O' City Lights

**Author's Note:**

> **Recipient:** EVERYONE  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> **Author's Note:** I was excited to try out writing this prompt for my exchange recipient! Superheroes is always a topic I've wanted to try but never had quite the right ideas to add in; hopefully you love it as much as I do. Thank you to my beta to reading through and telling me all the places I've gone wrong, I love ya ;)

“Good evening, and may we say again how pleased we are that you responded to us quickly and came in on such short notice.”

Chanyeol waves the director’s thanks off while trying to hide his exhaustion from a day’s work. “It’s no problem, Sir. It’s what I signed up for.”

“Still… I saw your final reports for today. That fight against the Puppeteer was quite a lot to deal with. But there’s a name on our list we need to cross off. Immediately. You really are a patriot and upstanding citizen; I know we can entrust our worries to you.”

The compliment is one Chanyeol has heard a thousand times from the director. It’s his way of letting the ones under his command know how much they are giving back to the country. And maybe it makes Chanyeol feel a bit more prideful. 

The director pulls out a stack of files from the side of his desk. Chanyeol straightens up in his seat, keeping one eye on the two guards stationed by each door. In flipping open the top file, the director knocks over his glass of water on accident. Chanyeol scoots back as not to touch the liquid. The other man only sighs, drawing his hand in a small circle and gathering the water into a ball in his hand before dispersing it back into the glass. 

Chanyeol notices just how young, how tired the director looks tonight. The man runs a hand through his mussed hair away from his forehead.

“Blue, you’ve been loyal to us. It’s undisputable. We don’t want to fret over this issue anymore.”

“Sir? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no.” Chanyeol drums his fingers over his leg as the guards shift their position behind him. His eyes flicker back for only a second. “The Alliance has long known of a villain much bigger than any we’ve faced before. They’ve been around for the past few months and have become a true issue to both us and the public. And… the super assigned to the job has not been fulfilling his duties. Not a single update or report has been sent in, and not a single victory in a fight that we can confirm, We need your help to root this villain out, perhaps set the super you will be partnered with straight; and we have no doubt that you will.”

“Of course, Sir,” Chanyeol says with a resolute nod. This whole conversation is putting him on edge. How bad is this guy? Normally when he gets an assignment, it’s a quick meeting during the day with the director tossing him a well complied file to read and a friendly send off. Not a middle of the night meeting in the downstairs office. He wants to adjust the mask against his face but knows that one wrong movement could end with a bullet to the neck. 

“I understand.”

The director clicks his tongue, passing the few files over to Chanyeol to look through. “The super assigned to this has arms and legs are tied in this issue. I’ll give him that. He can’t leave the city, but he can’t continue on this way. We have every thought to terminate his position.”

Chanyeol stiffens. Termination in the program means termination of life. If he can help it, he wants to help out this other super to keep that from happening.

“And you know it’s a pain, but the process of the law rules our actions. All technicalities of what we can and cannot do aside, our hands are also tied.”

The little room falls to silence. Chanyeol flips through the final page, memorizing the masked face of his new coworker. Every super had their own mask, with the shape and color designed to hide their identity perfectly. The director slides over an assignment document for Chanyeol to sign. He does without another question.

_ Blue Phoenix _

_ Target: Asperity _

  
  


“You knew my cousin?”

“Yup. Remarkable man. Flammable, too.”

Sehun snorts. “How the hell has this never come up before? Man, I thought Kris just dropped off the face of the Earth for his normal weird reasons.”

“No, the reason why is because he tried to form an antigovernment syndicate composed of supervillains and cocaine. Mostly cocaine.” 

“Sounds like him…” Sehun doesn’t fret over the tragic defeat of his cousin, only to be discovered in passing conversation. “My back hurts so much, Chanyeol. Why are you making me do this again?” 

Sehun continues to let out whining complaints, shuffling his feet loudly to emphasize his point. The moving boxes are heavy in both of their arms. Chanyeol knows he dragged his friend into helping him relocate, but there’s no way he could do this alone on such short notice.

“Because you love me. And this is a ‘you-owe-me’ for finding you that cheap no-ties apartment over in St. Laun without groveling to your parents to support you.”

Sehun keeps quiet because he knows that Chanyeol is right. Chanyeol gives a triumphant ‘ha-ha-ha’ before nudging the door to his new place open with his hip. The house is on a cul-de-sac filled with small development houses. It’s away from downtown but close enough for easy access to the excitement in the heights of the city. Chanyeol’s already planning what to explore first on his missions out, both as civilian and hero. Even the first thing they unloaded outside was Chanyeol’s motorcycle, parked near the messy garage, for easy access to leave.

His new roommate said over text he would leave the front door unlocked, but he would probably be asleep. Chanyeol understands the situation his roommate, and new partner in superhero work, is in and tries his hardest not to make too much noise when settling the first round of boxes down on the ground.

A chubby corgi comes to meet Chanyeol and Sehun at the door. With his hands now free, Chanyeol takes the time to give his new puppy roommate some love. Toben is still waiting in the air-conditioned truck in his portable carrier. If one good thing is to come of this, it’s that Toben will have a new playmate that’s not another human or Vivi.

One of the doors in the hallway is open wide. Chanyeol peeks in and sees the room bare minus a few pieces of furniture scattered here and there. At least the Alliance bought him all of the basics including a mattress. It makes hopping from town to town much easier. 

They leave to get the second round of boxes from the truck.

Sehun follows him to examine the room once they return and Chanyeol dumps a load of clothes onto his mattress. He fiddles with a mirror to the left side of the closet and out pops a standard hand and eye scanner. Chanyeol steps away from his work to unlock it; Sehun could keep exploring for all he cared. Once his handprint is taken and eye scan is complete, half of the closet spins out with a mechanical whirring. A metal storage area with a suit storage system reveals itself.

“Not bad, they even included a heat sensor,” Sehun says as he points out the thermal range being displayed with glowing digits. “Mine never gets that…”

Chanyeol grunts. It’s nothing special. He doesn’t have the heart to tell Sehun that every closet the Alliance has given him has had heat sensors due to the hazardous nature of his affinity.

While Chanyeol digs out his primary supersuit from one of the many boxes, Sehun wanders back out into the kitchen to play with the puppy for a moment. Chanyeol isn’t going to stop him- as long as he’s going to help carry the rest in.

Sehun waits until Chanyeol leads them back out to the truck and the front door is closed to start talking again.

“So who’s your roomie again?”

Chanyeol pulls out his phone to check the info on his work phone. He wants to make sure he gets the name right. “Starlight. He’s been with the Alliance for nine years now.”

Sehun whistles. “Longer than you and me then. A true veteran!” Chanyeol doesn’t disagree. In their profession, living longer than five years is an achievement that should be celebrated. “What’s his real name?”

“You know the Alliance won’t tell me that.”

“Affinity?”

“Light. No clue what all that encompasses.”

Sehun groans in some annoyance but doesn’t push it much more than that. He is under the same contract anyways. Superheroes rarely gave out their true aliases to anyone other than their trusted friends. Sehun and Chanyeol were lucky that they grew up together, and even joined the Alliance on the same day. There’s a handful of other supers that they knew personally, but even they are just a snappy name and costume.

But this situation is a bit different than any others they’ve been in. Chanyeol wouldn’t have been relocated halfway across the world and placed with a veteran super otherwise. That, and the fact that the Alliance gave him a full debriefing of everything they knew about this villain before moving into Trowan City meant serious business. 

The two supers finish moving in the boxes with ease. Sehun shuts his mouth from whining as he catches on to Chanyeol’s stress rising. Starlight remains asleep the whole time, locked away in his own bedroom. It serves as a reminder for Chanyeol that most of the work he’ll be doing is night work in this city. Unlike the previous villain he had to deal with, this one works almost solely at night. Not unusual, but not as common as all of the comic books make it out to be.

“Pizza?”

“As long as you’re the one buying,” Sehun grumbles, holding his back as the last things are unloaded into the living room. Chanyeol makes sure that Toben’s own water bowl and bed are against the wall near the corgi’s. He reminds himself to ask the corgi’s name once Starlight is awake.

Sehun leads the way to the moving truck and hops into the passenger seat. By the time Chanyeol crawls in, the younger already has a list of pizza places nearby and is choosing the best one. Honestly Chanyeol doesn’t care where they go. All he needs is food. Moving in takes so much more energy than he thought originally; besides, having to take care of Sehun’s whining didn’t help at all.

It’s obvious once they drive out of the residential area. The nice houses painted in muted colors with fences fade into apartment complexes. To Chanyeol, they resemble barracks more than anything a person would want to live in.

They wander down into a strip of stores and little restaurants. Sehun points one out that seems not too crowded for Chanyeol to park in front of. A friendly family is working the whole buisness. Everyone has on a kind smile which eases Chanyeol’s stress the smallest bit. He’s been working too long to let his guard down with a new town too easily but so far, nothing interesting has stood out to him.

A TV is playing the news on the wall, drawing both of the supers’ attentions. Sehun mindlessly chews on his piece of pizza while Chanyeol only picks at his. Maybe he could take a few slices home to Starlight as a cheap first meeting gift. 

_ “Today again, Asperity attacked near Lake Avenue in downtown. Three deep trenches a meter in width appeared near the epicenter of his attack. Three victims: two children under the age of twelve and a man in his forties have been reported missing. They were last seen around the area of the attack and have not been heard from since. This brings the number of missing over twenty. With the continuous strikes from Asperity and failed retaliation from Starlight we are left to wonder: will our city fall to the hands a villain’s rule?” _

Chanyeol and Sehun’s attention is focused only on the screen. The pizza is all but forgotten. 

“That’s a new thing,” Sehun mutters to Chanyeol as the news station flashes over to the sight of attack. He flicks his finger to the screen as if Chanyeol isn’t already watching. Boulders larger than cars surround the three cracks in the ground. Water is spilled everywhere, filling up the chasms and flooding out the roads. From the camera angle, Chanyeol guesses each fault must be at least ten meters deep on top of being so wide. 

What really draws his attention is the way the stones and metal all twist as if they were sucked into the ground as well. But Chanyeol thinks that ground isn’t necessarily the right word; it appears more like a portal straight down to hell. Black marks stretch out from the gashes in the ground like veins, or lightning scars. Chanyeol is reminded of their friend Chen, but he shoves the thought down. Perhaps it was something with unbelievable strength that ripped the buildings and roads apart, leaving the marks behind.

He takes in all he can of the scene before the image flips to the missing people.

Nothing stands out about them. The kids’ photos are both blurry and obviously taken on a mobile phone, no doubt by a parent who’s worried sick. The man’s is a professional shot from work, leaving Chanyeol to assume he’s a businessman working nearby. Nothing ties the three together.

When the news anchor switches over to the weather for the week, Chanyeol sucks in a sharp breath between his teeth.

“What did the Alliance give you on Starlight’s status against Asperity?”

Chanyeol shakes his head. “Not much. I guess Starlight is a top super but a thorn in their side all the same. He keeps the updates to a minimum and won’t report back unless there’s been a major win or loss. And by major, I mean, he wins.”

“I’d say over twenty missing people is a major loss,” Sehun bites out. He distracts his anger by taking a sip of the soda in front of him. “Most I’ve ever had missing were two hostages who popped up unscathed later. The Alliance was on my ass about that.”

“My record’s clean. Let’s see if I can keep it like that,” Chanyeol snorts. He polishes off his final piece of pizza before calling over their waitress for a box and the check. 

Sehun drives them back as Chanyeol anxiously taps along to the song playing on the radio. When they get back to the house, Chanyeol is about to invite Sehun back in so he doesn’t have to meet Starlight alone. But Sehun gets an alert through his call monitor. He groans as he reads the request- and Chanyeol feels lucky to be off duty from all work lower than Level 4 emergencies for the next few days. 

AKA, anything that’s not Asperity.

“Don’t piss him off into blinding you or some shit!”

“I’m going to try not to!” Chanyeol calls back as Sehun waves to him. He speeds off in the truck towards somewhere only he knows.

Chanyeol takes a breath in with the pizza box securely tucked in his hand before walking back in. He and Sehun had been out longer than he planned, and surely Starlight is awake by now. As he’s digging his key out of his pocket, Chanyeol glances down the street away from his cul-de-sac. Nothing but the same style of house for as far as his eye can see on both sides. The cookie cutter houses alternate colors every other one, but he wouldn’t be able to pick them out against any other houses.

The lines of mailboxes and single trees in the front yard starts giving Chanyeol a headache. He finishes sliding the key in the hole to enter his new place. Toben runs up to greet him with excited barks. The corgi comes up with caution in his step, sniffing at Chanyeol’s outstretched hand. When he recongizes the scent, his butt begins to wiggle in excitement.

But when the door shuts behind him, all of the lights go out.

Chanyeol jumps at the sudden darkness. Toben goes crazy, but the corgi huffs as if this has happened before. His first thought is that the breaker flipped; these houses weren’t made with that much attention to detail. He toes off his shoes and shuffles forward. Chanyeol stops midstep when he hears a set of footsteps not of his own. From practice, Chanyeol’s senses go on high alert.

And he notices that the refrigerator is still running with a constant hum. Chanyeol tries to look to where he remembers the window (without any blinds, his mind supplies) being. There’s nothing but total darkness.

He pulls his hand out of his pocket and lights a small flame. It shouldn’t be anything big, just enough to cast a bit of light in the room. Chanyeol sets his center of gravity a bit lower when he activates his affinity. There’s fire- he can feel it in his bones and against his skin- but there’s no flame to see.

No light.

“Starlight?”

Chanyeol calls out into the darkness, expecting an answer but not getting one. He grumbles, shuffling forward with baby steps until his hip hits the edge of the kitchen table. At least he chose to put out the flame earlier- now his hand swinging down to grip at his side doesn’t accidently light anything on fire.

“Name?”

The voice startles Chanyeol. It’s a lighter tone than he expects, almost as if it is light itself.

“Blue Phoenix.”

“Supervisor?”

“Under Neptune from the coast district.”

“ID number?”

“0-1-2-6-5-8.”

When Chanyeol says the last digit of his Alliance ID, the lights turn back on. Or rather, they are returned to their proper place. Chanyeol watches with wide eyes as orbs of light as delicate as the stars themselves drift together back to where they came from. He blinks a few times to get used to the light again.

His gaze falls on a short but lean man in front of him. “You really are Starlight. I’m assuming, at least?”

“And you must really be the Blue Phoenix,” Starlight parrots back. His hand goes to rub at the spot between his eyes above his nose. Chanyeol takes in the short blond hair that looks like it’s filled with grease and a strip of dried blood running from his right ear. “Sorry for… that.” He waves a hand in the general direction of the windows.

Chanyeol wants to be irritated at having to go through being blind for a minute and then questioned by Starlight, but the other super looks so exhausted that he can’t be upset.

“It’s no problem, really. I would’ve done the same.” Chanyeol watches on as Starlight settles himself onto the couch and his corgi jumps up to the cushions. It lays its head on the other man’s lap and he absent mindedly scratches it behind the ears. “I brought pizza back. You hungry?”

Starlight grunts and looks up to Chanyeol for the food. He passes over the box and Starlight eagerly opens it to stuff the first slice into his mouth. 

“Jesus, haven’t you eaten yet?”

He shakes his head. “Not for a day or two. I get busy.”

“About that…” Chanyeol starts, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. Toben curls himself at the fire wielder’s feet. “Care to debrief me? My friend and I watched the news, I got a bit of info from the director, but I certainly need more than a newscaster’s photo of the attack.”

Starlight slumps down farther in his seat. His breath is ragged as if he hasn’t gotten any sleep in the past month. He rubs at his shoulder with a shaking hand. Chanyeol wants to reach over and grab it just to keep himself from seeing how much of a toll this has taken on Starlight.

“I’ve got just about as much as you do right now, and it’s been over two months. Can’t believe the Alliance is sending in a rookie to help me deal,” Starlight grumbles into his chest. “And  _ you _ of all supers…”

“Hey now. I’ve been working for four and a half years- I wouldn’t call that a rookie,” Chanyeol retorts. He chooses to ignore the last comment. Starlight looks to him with dead eyes. For having an affinity for light, his eyes sure look dead without a single spark in them.

“Congratulations. Your reward is getting to work with me.”

“And what do you mean me of all supers?”

“You’re stubborn and hotheaded. I’ve seen your fights. Not a good combo when dealing with shit like this.”

Chanyeol sighs in defeat. Starlight seems to be in a rut of not cooperating. Chanyeol understands where all this frustration is coming from, he really does, but Starlight has to learn to work with him on the little things like debriefing him over the situation if this is ever going to work.

He gives one last pet to Toben before standing and stretching towards the ceiling. Starlight looks on with disinterest; his hand continues to stroke the corgi’s soft fur. 

“What’s the dog’s name?” Chanyeol asks, bringing the conversation to something that Starlight surely won’t avoid. 

“Mongryong.”

Chanyeol nods. It’s a cute name. “This is Toben. He gets along with other dogs so they should be fine.”

“…what are you doing now?” Starlight asks after a beat of silence. Chanyeol thinks it’s pretty obvious since he’s reaching for the boxes scattered about the room. He gestures towards his own room and Starlight gives a little ‘ah’ of understanding. It would be cute how clueless and absentminded Starlight is if Chanyeol knew it wasn’t from exhaustion.

The day fades into the evening and Chanyeol is still unpacking. He didn’t realize how much stuff he has until trying to unpack it into a small room. After what feels like hours of working to unload the boxes, Chanyeol wanders back out into the living room. Starlight hasn’t moved from his spot on the couch. At least now he’s resting with his eyes closed. 

After only a half hour of not so creepily watching and finding peace in Starlight sleeping, Starlight’s phone chirps with an all too familiar sound. It breaks Chanyeol out of his trance and he realizes that staring at his new coworker/roommate should not be something he finds comfort in. 

Chanyeol checks his phone and finds that the Alliance has only messaged Starlight. The light bearer snaps awake, stumbling to his room to change into his supersuit. As much as Chanyeol wants to follow along and help fight, he knows that would be against protocol. Only those called in can help. Anyone else could be prosecuted as interfering in official work.

“Help yourself to anything in the fridge or cabinets,” Starlight says to him as he finishes tugging on his supersuit. Chanyeol take a moment to take in the other’s suit now that he’s seeing it in person. 

Chanyeol has heard of how beautiful Starlight’s suit is, but it’s even more incredible than he could’ve dreamed of. The suit is tight the whole length of his body and Chanyeol can see every curve and dip of his body adorned in an iridescent fabric. At one angle it looks to be a deep blood red and at the next, the reflection of the light turns it into a sea green, then purple. And straight on, the fabric looks to be a pure snow white.

Two stripes of black fabric crisscross against Starlight’s thighs and another two across his biceps. Chanyeol recongizes the marking of seven circles, six on the outside and one in the center near Starlight’s lapel. It’s definitely the work of Seven. Nothing else would be such high quality and dare to bear the tailor’s insignia.

The super shoves boots onto his feet. Starlight puts on a faceless mask to hide his identity- one that is blank white with only eye holes cutting into it like two slices from a sword.

“How’re you going to get there?” Chanyeol questions. He doesn’t remember seeing any other vehicle when he parked his motorcycle. Just a messy garage filled with Christmas decorations and half squished rubber totes. 

Starlight waves him off. “I’ll be fine. I have my ways.”

And he’s gone.

Chanyeol is left to watch the door slam shut as the light bearer leaves. Starlight hadn’t even given Chanyeol any information on Asperity yet. He could snoop around Starlight’s room, but that would be a huge violation of trust. If he somehow managed to find any weapons or gear, Chanyeol is certain Starlight would know. A super always knows if his stuff has been messed with.

He debates between going to sleep after eating a bit or waiting up. Between bites of a microwavable meal, Chanyeol chooses to wait up. A check to the clock tells him it’s only eight in the evening or so. But his day has been all moving and unpacking.

Chanyeol washes his silverware in the sink once he’s finished eating. There’s no other dishes lying around, so he makes quick work of it. He hates the feeling of water against his skin. Everything about it makes him want to scream- the slickness, the temperature, the way it sticks to his clothes. When he dries his hands, he finds Toben sitting by his feet. His little tail is wagging against the floor as he looks between his owner and his food bowl, back to his owner. Chanyeol gives a few pats to his furry head before digging out the bag of dog food. From the couch, Mongryong is watching him hopefully. Chanyeol whistles at the corgi, filling up his bowl next to Toben’s.

The corgi scrambles over. His claws click at the hardwood floors until he comes to a sliding stop in front of his food bowl. With both dogs fed, Chanyeol looks around the kitchen and living room for something to do. There’s a TV settled against the wall dividing the kitchen-dining area and the living room, so Chanyeol flicks it onto the news to play low in the background.

All of the boxes he brought had already been moved to his room and emptied out. Chanyeol doesn’t remember the last time the Alliance has given him a night off like this, with nothing to do but chores and sleep. Since he hasn’t been announced as a new superhero for Trowan City and Starlight is on duty, there’s no reason for him to go out yet. It’s a strange feeling. Chanyeol decides to just hop in the shower and get rid of the sweat from moving.

After a shower no more than five minutes in total and stalling fifteen minutes in the bathroom before, Chanyeol still feels like there’s something he should be doing. He comes back out to the kitchen with nothing but a pair of sweats and a damp towel around his neck. When he slumps down into the couch, his attention is drawn to the news.

It’s nothing good. 

War on the eastern border of their ally Vicom with Gonnan. A robbery on 5 th Street. The government pulling funding from the few public schools available. Starlight being marked as a failure for not making progress with Asperity. 

Chanyeol flicks the TV off. He needs the break from society, even if it is for only a single night. Before his eyes can slip shut, Chanyeol makes his way up to his bedroom. He checks on the security system linked up to his room and the storage unit before flopping onto the soft mattress. It’s softer than the one at his previous apartment; he is lulled right to sleep.

“Ow! Shit fuck, no! Fuck. Fuck!”

Chanyeol jolts awake, springing out of his bed in a second. His arm lights up with a fiery red flame and he creates a fireball in his palm. Pushing his way into Starlight’s room where the sound came from, Chanyeol readies himself to attack if need be.

Starlight is one step ahead of him on the surprise level. Once Chanyeol is in the room, his vision goes out again minus five spiked lights aiming straight for his neck. Chanyeol sucks in a breath. They aren’t real; he doesn’t think they are at least. He repeats it like a mantra over and over in his head as the blades inch closer. He holds his arms up and shows Starlight that his arm is no longer on fire, lowering it slowly. Starlight returns his sight and the spikes disappears. 

“Fuck, Blue!”

“I didn’t know illusions are your thing on top of the whole blindness thing,” Chanyeol comments as Starlight drops onto the chair at his desk. When he settles into the wood, soft lights bounce around the ceiling and walls.

“I didn’t know barging into other people’s room was your thing,” Starlight snaps back. He whips his head to glare at Chanyeol, but yelps in pain as he turns it too fast. In his frustration and pain, Starlight rips off his mask.

Chanyeol can see a nasty gash travelling up the length of his face from his chin to his hairline. Starlight bites back a yelp of pain. 

“What happened out there?”

“It was a god damn false alarm. Someone thought they saw Asperity and then by the time they came back from calling he was gone. No trace of nothing, no one missing. And then out of nowhere comes this really fast attack. Like I was on the ground like normal, and then in the air and dropped straight down the next. I just… regained consciousness and then came here,” Starlight mumbles, yanking off his gloves. His hands are shaking.

Starlight reaches back to start slipping off the top of his supersuit. A cry escapes his lips and Chanyeol holds a hand up to stop him. Starlight doesn’t fight when Chanyeol tugs it off and over his arms little by little. Soon enough, Starlight is left in his underwear on the chair.

Chanyeol examines Starlight as he pulls out some pajamas for the shorter man. Most of the bruises look like they’re from multiple fights. There’s not more than three or four that look fresh. Scrapes and cuts litter his skin.

“How long has…?”

“Long enough,” Starlight grits out. His eyes stare at the ground. Chanyeol tosses him the pajamas and he mechanically begins to tug them on. 

When Starlight is in the old pair of sweats and t-shirt, Chanyeol doesn’t leave the room. He looks up to the fire wielder with confusion. Chanyeol crawls onto the bed and motions for Starlight to do the same.

“C’mere. Sit in front of me.”

Starlight obliges. But not without a warning first. “If you do anything funny, I swear I’ll blind you for good this time.”

Chanyeol laughs which eases the situation. Starlight sits with his legs sprawled out and his back hunched. With Starlight as comfortable as he can be in front of him, Chanyeol heats up his hands. He watches so the fire runs in his veins, illuminating their paths for no more than a few seconds before dimming again.

He lays his hands on Starlight’s shoulders carefully. The shorter man jumps at the contact. His body scrunches up and pulls away, as if he’s suspecting Chanyeol will burn him. The lack of trust hurts.

Soon enough, he starts to relax into Chanyeol’s hands. They are warmed by Chanyeol’s affinity but not enough to burn the skin. Just enough that Chanyeol knows it will ease the ache in Starlight’s muscles. While he massages Starlight’s shoulders first, his back and hands are what Chanyeol is most concerned about. That’s the most common place for superheroes to get injuries. Starlight’s eyes are drooping closed by the time Chanyeol moves onto his back. It’s an awkward angle, but Chanyeol doesn’t want to ask Starlight to lay down under him. He cranks up the heat until switching to Starlight’s upper arms.

Chanyeol works his way down slowly. First the biceps and triceps, then his forearms. 

“Turn around for me,” Chanyeol commands in a low voice. Starlight complies almost as if his mind has shut down. When he faces Chanyeol, he can see the exhaustion from tracking down Asperity wearing heavy on Starlight’s face. He takes the light bearer’s hands in his own. “You really need to take better care of yourself…”

Starlight half snorts, the sound falling flat in the night. “It’s not as easy as you make it out to be.”

“Good thing I’m here then.”

“You’re different than I’ve heard…”

He continues on with rubbing at Starlight’s hands in silence. He notices how the ring finger on his right hand is at an awkward angle; Starlight hisses when he brushes past it. Chanyeol grabs it softer this time and feels it as not to cause too much more pain.

“Starlight, this is dislocated you know.” Chanyeol doesn’t get a response. “I can put it back in place, but it’ll hurt a lot more than if you just go to a healer. Go to Lay.”

Starlight shakes his head at the idea. Chanyeol, without any sort of warning, relocates the finger and Starlight jerks at the sensation. He yelps in pain and squeezes Chanyeol’s hand. Chanyeol immediately puts a soothing heat back on the joint to get rid the ache.

“Why won’t you go to Lay? He’s the best healer we’ve got.”

“Not anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks, his voice wavering at the end. His stomach drops at the look Starlight gives him. Lay isn’t just their main healer at the Alliance, he’s one of Chanyeol’s closest friends other than Sehun. “He wouldn’t just leave us.”

Starlight pulls his hand away from Chanyeol. He cradles it close to his body as he digs around in his closet for something. When he turns around, Starlight hands the stack of files to Chanyeol.

“This is everyone who has been marked missing. Lay was one of the first few.”

Starlight reaches over and flips to the third manila folder. Chanyeol opens it. Lay’s smiling face, dimple and all, stare up at him.

“I never…”

“Thought a super could go missing? We didn’t either. And he’s not the only one. At least three other supers have been deemed missing due to Asperity.” Starlight draws his legs up close to him. “All came to help me. You’re the fourth super the Alliance has sent to try and take down Asperity. And the first who they didn’t give any knowledge of Asperity to. Lay came when one of Asperity’s attacks took a toll on the citizens. Why I’m kept here and alive while others are taken… I have no idea.”

Chanyeol looks through the other files, not seeing any one thing that connects each person at first glance. Starlight draws in a shaky breath as they pass by the last folder. Chanyeol opens it and sees a man about their age, smiling up with wide eyes. 

“Did you know him?” Chanyeol asks after seeing Starlight’s reaction. He sucks in a shaking breath.

“He was- my best friend since we were kids. Kyungsoo. He was the first to go missing,” Starlight mumbles. “He and his husband were- are our neighbors. We should visit him. I worry…”

Starlight stands suddenly. Chanyeol wants to ask if there’s anything else he can do, but he knows it will be futile.

“You need to go.”

Chanyeol doesn’t argue. He leaves Starlight alone and closes the door behind him. 

  
  


“It’s your first time out in the city, aren’t you excited?” Starlight asks with little excitement. His tone falls flat. No matter the pessimism Starlight has, Chanyeol is actually thrumming with nerves and excitement all at once to start fighting in Trowan City. 

They continue driving down the highway. Starlight’s hands are wrapped around Chanyeol’s middle as he weaves in and out of slow drivers on the bike. The houses fly past until they fade into high rise skyscrapers lit up by the night sky. Downtown Trowan City is much like any other- Chanyeol can point out all of the rich areas and those that he should avoid unless in his supersuit. 

Chanyeol pulls them into an underground parking lot Starlight suggested after scanning his Alliance badge. No other car is in the lot and Chanyeol makes a note to remember this if he has a solo mission. It’s inconvenient not having the ability to fly. He hops off first and begins rummaging around the pack of the bike for his super suit. Chanyeol tosses Starlight’s to him over the bike. He slips it on as fast as he can. They both know from experience how difficult it is to slip into tight fitting spandex with only one hand while the other is balancing against something.

Changing in abandoned parking lots and tight front seats of cars isn’t glamorous, but that’s the job. Chanyeol climbs out and adjusts his mask while checking his reflection in the window. Starlight is still pulling on the straps of his supersuit; Chanyeol is a little jealous at the supersuit. Seven did a wonderful job designing both of theirs without a doubt, but Starlight’s is just so much prettier. 

Chanyeol’s own is mostly a matte black with swirls of yellow around his wrists, ankles, and collarbone. His mask was the same golden yellow- a contrast with his silver hair that is pushed back and held out of his eyes by the mask. He slips on his gloves as the finishing touch. They are made of the same black material as the rest of his suit. While he’s using his flames, the black material keeps the rest of his body and hands cool as not to inadvertently burn any citizens that touch him or he’s saving. 

“You ready?” Starlight asks as Chanyeol rounds the car. His voice is muffled from his full-face mask but Chanyeol still understands. He nods.

As they walk out of the exit and up to an abandoned alley near Asperity’s last recorded location, Chanyeol gets himself into the ‘Blue Phoenix’ mindset. It’s different from his normal day to day demeanor for a reason.

Confident, honest, and a bit egotistical.

Starlight leads them out to street. Chanyeol is bouncing on his toes, ready to catch this bastard the minute he sees him. A few civilians pass by the superheroes with hearts in their eyes. Chanyeol secretly hopes they realize that their presence should not be reassuring. Their presence means Asperity is somewhere nearby.

“The report came in from this area,” Starlight murmurs more to himself than Chanyeol. “Blue! You go check the outer perimeters and I’ll look for anything right around here.”

“Got it.”

Chanyeol leaves Starlight to investigate the inner sight on his own. Splitting up isn’t his first choice, but it’s often the most practical. Instead of walking everywhere, Chanyeol climbs up the side of one of the nearby buildings until he reaches the roof. Thank God for all supers having a higher level of strength than normal humans.

He takes a running start to leap to the next building. Chanyeol does this until he reaches the outer perimeter of the attack area. The streetlights illuminate all of the main roads enough that Chanyeol can see everything from up here. There’s nothing unusual in this area after examining it. He even sent a flame down into two of the alleys to light those up.

Next he covers the opposite side, passing by Starlight on his way. As he’s jumping across one of the buildings near Starlight, Chanyeol stumbles. His eye caught something. 

“Starlight! Over here!” 

Starlight comes running over. Chanyeol points down at his feet where water is pouring out of the windows of an abandoned building. 

“That’s a new one…” Starlight grumbles. He whips around to cover Chanyeol’s back when he hears a crackling crash. A trio of mangy cats darts out between boxes and an old mirror that fell to the ground with shattered glass. 

“What is Asperity’s affinity anyways? You never told me what that bitch can do.”

“I didn’t tell you because even I don’t know… Lots of chasms. Water pipes being burst a lot. Electricity burns from crushed power lines. But I was being thrown into the air and dropped too often for me to be sure.”

Chanyeol whistles. “That’s like everything. Are you sure this is just one villain and not a whole fucking league coming after you?”

Starlight shakes his head. “I’ve only ever seen one person and I’m pretty sure it’s the same guy.”

He accepts the answer. It’s not like Chanyeol had the knowledge on Asperity to argue. Chanyeol can only hope that Asperity doesn’t have hydrokinesis and the Alliance sent him of all people in to deal with it. That would be a suicide mission they sent him on.

Chanyeol is about to call out to Starlight when he feels a sudden strike hit his ribs. He spins on heel with his fist clenched and covered in a deep red flame. But no one- or nothing- is there. 

“Shit! Did you just do that?” He snaps at Starlight with his anger surging. The light bearer looks shocked at the sudden change in demeanor. 

“Do what?”

Starlight holds a hand out with a soft light emanating from his fingertips. The side of Chanyeol’s suit looks normal, as does the rest of him. 

“Then it was Asperity…”

Starlight makes a little ‘oh’ with his lips. “That’s him alright. You have to be fast. He strikes once or twice to get your attention and then will go all out with every trick in the book. You have to-”

“-Starlight!” 

Chanyeol shoves Starlight out of the way when a black shadow comes screaming towards them from the alleyway. The shock causes Starlight to remove the light from his hand and the shadows disappear. 

“Did he get you?” Chanyeol whispers, keeping his voice low and eyes up. Starlight flinches as he feels the side of his arm. When he shows his hand to Chanyeol, it’s coated in blood. “Fuck!”

“Just a nick. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Chanyeol clicks his tongue but doesn’t argue with Starlight. His arms cast a low glow of burning embers. With every breath, the flames grow stronger as Chanyeol looks for Asperity’s location. Chanyeol keeps Starlight in his peripheral vision as he takes a step forward into the darkness. Starlight casts out a few soft lights for Chanyeol to look around easier.

Nothing but a dead end lies ahead of the two superheroes. Chanyeol runs a hand along the cement wall before turning back around. 

“Nothing.”

Starlight shakes his head and snuffs out the lights. With the decrease in light near his eyes, Chanyeol can now make out a shape behind Starlight. He tries to call out for Starlight to move, but the ground is caving in too quickly. Chanyeol launches himself forward with a push of explosive fire and grabs ahold of the unsuspecting Starlight. Starlight yelps the moment Chanyeol grabs a hold of him and the fire wielder has to stop from dropping him in shock at the reaction.

With one hand on the chasm’s edge and the other wrapped around Starlight’s chest, Chanyeol knows he is stuck. Starlight sends a beam of light straight into Asperity’s face. Chanyeol doesn’t know how that’s going to work when Asperity’s mask is totally smooth, no details or lines for any sort of eye holes or a mouth. It’s a blinding attack directed right under the edge of his mask, but Asperity isn’t fazed. He continues to stride forward until he overlooks Chanyeol desperately trying to lift both himself and Starlight up to the ground.

_ “Another new superhero? The Alliance are some type of stupid…” _

A boot falls onto Chanyeol’s fingers. He yelps in pain but doesn’t let go of the ledge. Who knows how deep the chasm beneath them is? 

Asperity laughs under his breath in disbelief. He walks off, humming a tune under his breath as he does so. 

“The Alliance will be your downfall! I’ll kill you, you motherfucker!” Chanyeol calls out after he slings Starlight up high enough that he can grapple up. 

Asperity pauses in his exit. He turns on heel and Chanyeol can see the streetlights bouncing off his shiny mask. It’s faceless, but Chanyeol swears he can see a face in that mask. “Temper, temper.”

The villain lets out a little airy laugh at his own actions. “I don’t want to kill you. The mask of the Alliance serves its purpose well, but you will lose yourself in it. Take it off and see the truth. Be responsible for your actions.”

“Kiss my ass you sanctimonious bastard.”

The ground begins to shake again and Chanyeol has to hold himself onto the chasm ledge to keep from falling. A wind rises up from inside the Earth and blows Chanyeol’s hair away from his head. Starlight reaches down to help pull him up. By the time both supers are back on solid ground and look to fight Asperity, he’s gone. 

Chanyeol scoffs, spitting in the direction of Asperity’s fading presence. Starlight laughs out loud before clapping a hand over his mouth.

“That wasn’t very model citizen-like of you, you know,” Starlight gets out in between his giggles. Chanyeol gives a crooked grin. 

“Didn’t they tell you about me? The news won’t interview me ‘cause I swear too much. I’ve never been the people’s superhero.”

“C’mon on. Let’s continue the patrol in case Asperity moves his attack.”

“Why did you flinch?”

Starlight freezes in his tracks, not expecting the question. He continues walking forward. Chanyeol has to jog to catch up. He misses Starlight’s answer.

“Did you hear how he talks? All righteous and elegant. What is he, some B-rated villain in a kid’s movie?” Chanyeol snorts. Starlight hums in agreement, already stripping off his suit in the entryway of the house. Toben and Mongryong come to greet their owners. All tails are wagging as Chanyeol flops onto the floor and let the two pups lick at his sweaty face.

The morning light signaled the end of a shift and the two supers couldn’t be more relieved. Asperity struck twice more, almost catching one person before Chanyeol threw a fireball in his direction. After that, Asperity went quiet for the rest of the night.

Starlight comes back out from his bedroom with sweats and no shirt. He pads into the kitchen, Mongryong following his owner along. After that close call of Starlight falling in, Chanyeol doesn’t want to let him out of his sight. 

It’s not too big of a sacrifice for Chanyeol when Starlight walks around without a shirt like now fairly often, showing off his toned body. Chanyeol has to stop his eyes from wandering any lower.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Chanyeol questions, feeling his own bones drag from the exhaustion. Starlight shakes his head. He digs through the fridge for some food, popping back out with eggs, cheese, and a bell pepper.

“You’ll regret going to sleep on an empty stomach,” Starlight says. 

“Hypocrite.”

The light bearer gestures for Chanyeol to sit down at the kitchen table while ignoring the comment. Chanyeol’s not wrong. “You really haven’t worked night shifts before, have you?”

Chanyeol shrugs. “Day work always gets more attention. What can I say? I like approval from people. Media hates me, but old Joe Dirt can’t get enough of the Blue Phoenix.”

“You really are something…”

As Starlight continues to make up two omelets, Chanyeol hops in the shower to get the ashy smell off his skin and slips into his own pajamas. When he comes back out, Starlight is sipping on juice with his half-eaten breakfast in front of him. Chanyeol digs into the one waiting at his spot. The food that hits his tongue tastes heavenly. He gives his praise in between bites.

Starlight mindlessly rubs at a spot behind Mongryong’s ear as Chanyeol finishes his meal. Before they both go to sleep, Chanyeol has a few questions bugging him.

“So with Asperity… why Trowan City?”

“Why not Trowan? There’s nothing to draw people in or out. One minor branch of Alliance is here and that’s about it. I don’t think there’s a certain reason,” Starlight muses. He downs the rest of his juice.

“Has he robbed anything? Money, hell, even real estate or some shit?”

“Nope.”

“Murders gone public?”

“Again, no. Only kidnappings with no trace of the people left.”

Chanyeol clicks his tongue. All questions and no answers is not his favorite. The sun has fully risen above the horizon and Chanyeol takes this as time to sleep. He stands to leave for bed, but Starlight grabs his shirt. He stares into the grain of the table.

“Listen. All the questions about reasons or getting into Asperity’s mind, that stuff won’t work. I’ve tried and now we’re here. The best we can do is keep him at bay.”

He lets Chanyeol go.

And Chanyeol’s left to wonder what’s happened to Starlight to make him so negative, so untrusting in other super’s abilities to protect the world. 

The next weeks are better. Not great, but better. And they remain about the same as time marches on. Chanyeol gets a handful of calls for minor super work. His favorites are calls for fires that have to be put under control- he’s allowed to show off his pyrokinesis to his heart’s desire all while getting praise from nearby onlookers. Chanyeol’s not in hero work for the glory or recognition, but he isn’t going to complain either. It’s an easy way to get back into the swing of hero work. The few calls over Asperity have resulted in no kidnappings, no major damages.

Chanyeol takes that as a win.

He’s four months into living with Starlight when he gets back from one of the few calls. On the couch with Starlight is a man he doesn’t recognize from anywhere. They seem to be deep in conversation and hardly spare a glance in Chanyeol’s direction. He huffs at the insult. At least Mongryong and Toben are giving him attention, he thinks, as he curls up with a cup of ramen for dinner at the table.

Starlight catches his eye with a twinkle of light. He waves Chanyeol over, noodles and all.

“This is the neighbor friend I was talking about.” He gives a nod towards the tanned man sitting on the opposite end of from the couch. Chanyeol puts down his ramen and sticks a hand out to shake.

But the man doesn’t take it. His eyes stare forward, only turning in the general direction of Chanyeol when he scuffs the side of the table. Chanyeol bites his tongue at sticking his foot in his mouth and comment on the dull eyes. Jongin’s blind, and he might as well not point it out to the other two people in the room that obviously know.

“I’m Jongin,” he says with a voice much lighter than Chanyeol had been expecting. “You must be Baekhyun’s roomie… Jongmyung right? I’m terrible with names so sorry if that’s not it.” After speaking, he offers out his own hand for Chanyeol and gives a dazzling smile. Chanyeol makes a mental note of the fake name Starlight supplied Jongin.

It takes a few seconds for Chanyeol’s brain to catch up and realize that Jongin called Starlight by the name Baekhyun. He’d have to listen in further. It might just be an alias. But… it may also be Starlight’s real name. That’s be an awkward situation if it is.

Chanyeol takes the hand and shakes it. “Um yeah… that’s me.”

“I’ve visited a few times, but you’ve never been around. I’m glad I finally get to meet you!”

“Same here,” Chanyeol responds back. And it’s an honest answer- Starlight has mentioned Jongin multiple times and getting to know Jongin will be like getting to know another part of Starlight. An ugly feeling starts to bubble up in his chest at the sight of Starlight being so open and relaxed with Jongin. He knows the other man has a husband, but that doesn’t mean he still can’t feel jealous, even though he and Starlight have nothing between them, right?

“Do you mind if I sit and talk with you guys for a bit?”

Jongin shakes his head and Starlight beats him to the answer. “Stay if you want.”

Chanyeol slurps at his noodles next to Starlight as Jongin delves into his next story about leaving the lights off at a dance studio he works at to save on the electricity bill, but then not turning them on for a student on accident. “One of the perks of being blind,” Jongin jokes.

“How long have you… been blind, if you don’t mind me asking?” Chanyeol eventually asks. He wishes that the question isn’t too obtrusive, but Jongin seems like a friendly enough guy that it’s not offensive.

“Nah, I’ve been this way since birth so it’s normal for me. I don’t know life any other way.”

After the conversation winds to another topic, Chanyeol feels himself with his guard lowered around Jongin. It’s no wonder he and Starlight are close friends, Jongin is understanding and relatable in a way he could never understand. Being blind and ending up with so many questions about being different really strikes a nerve with Chanyeol.

He went through the same with his fire affinity after all.

Starlight grows quieter as the night passes. No calls have come in leaving the two supers to converse with Jongin without end. While Chanyeol and Jongin bicker as if they are old college buddies, Starlight leaves to walk the dogs for the night. Jongin pauses as the door clicks after Starlight leaves. Chanyeol is about to ask about the story Jongin was just explaining, but Jongin beats him to it.

“I’m glad Baekhyun has you. It hasn’t been… great since Kyungsoo disappeared,” Jongin says. He annunciates each word as if he is planning what to say word by word. “But he seems just a bit less tense since you came. I don’t know why, but… thanks.”

Chanyeol is pretty sure Jongin is in the dark to Starlight’s lower stress levels. Taking on a villain is easier with two superheroes than one on one after all. But maybe Jongin means something else. “How long have you known Baekhyun?”

“My husband knew Baek since they were in diapers. I came into the picture around high school and that’s that. No drama or long lost friends reuniting after years apart,” Jongin jokes, taking a swig of the beer Chanyeol got him. “But with Kyungsoo gone, I guess that last part might come true-”

“They’ll find him,” Chanyeol butts in. “They’ll find Kyungsoo and all of the others that are missing. Asperity can’t continue kidnapping forever.”

Jongin chuckles, dry and humorless. “Maybe we’re better with Asperity just doing what they want. The more those supers fight, the more he kidnaps. And that’s all they do, I swear. Fight and kidnap.” 

Chanyeol’s phone chirps at the end of Jongin’s sentence. But it’s not his normal phone- it’s his pager for work. Asperity has been spotted in a west suburb and hasn’t moved location for a few minutes. He feels a dark sense of relief that Jongin can’t see which phone he’s checking at the moment.

The tanned man stands, placing the empty beer bottle onto the side table with care. “Sorry for getting so down all of a sudden. I should be going for the night, it is late, no? I would wait for Baek to return but I know how he gets when he walks Mongryong. Word of advice: that’s his code for ‘I’m in a brooding mood and need to feel my feelings alone.”

Chanyeol laughs, clapping Jongin on the back as he grabs his cane. “I’ve gotten that one figured out already. Do you need me to walk you back to your place at all?”

Jongin assures him he can get back just fine but thanking Chanyeol for offering. When the door falls shut behind Jongin, Chanyeol doesn’t even take a minute to catch his breath after talking before sprinting to his room. He slams his hand onto the scanner to unlock his closet. Pulling on his suit doesn’t take more than a minute with all of his practice. He hops on his bike and kicks it into gear and launches out of the back garage door.

All that’s running through his head, for whatever reason, is that he now knows Starlight’s real name. Should say something to the light bearer before he slips up? Or leave it to trust himself not to spill the secret?

The helmet over his head sparks to life. A woman’s voice asks him to authorize his ID before a chirp confirms he’s in. Chanyeol blinks a few times as a green light fills the helmet, lining up perfectly with the road. He follows, knowing it will be the shortest path to get to Asperity.

“Blue Phoenix! Up here!” Baekhyun (Starlight, Chanyeol corrects himself) calls out once Chanyeol has parked his bike in between two buildings. They are on Main Street, multiple little shops all closed for the night lining the road. Chanyeol stops in front of a cupcake shop. He knows he heard Starlight’s voice from over here but can’t seem to find him until a pebble hits him on the head.

Up on the roof is Starlight, crouched and ready.

Chanyeol boosts himself up the wall, propelling each step with a small blast of fire until he’s side by side with the light bearer.

“And we are up here because…”

“Because I don’t think Asperity can strike if we aren’t on the ground. He uses… I don’t know… the currents of the ground or some shit. The chasms form faster than we can speak.”

“Like lightning?”

Starlight shrugs. “Close enough.”

Chanyeol readjusts himself to get more comfortable while watching for Asperity’s next move. The stone bricks of the building beneath his stomach dig into his side hard enough to leave bruises. 

“Ugh, stake outs are never fun, and this isn’t even really one.”

“Stop complaining, you big baby,” Starlight says with a hushed voice. 

Not even ten minutes have passed before Chanyeol begins to fidget. At first, it’s just a little adjustment of his legs or moving his arms here and there. But then he has to start entertaining himself by lighting little flames over his hand to keep himself awake. Starlight flicks him to get him to stop.

“Hey, Blue Phoenix,” Starlight starts. Chanyeol turns, humming for Starlight to continue. “It’s been what… a few months since we’ve started together.”

“I think so, yeah.”

Starlight hides half of his face down into the crook of his arm. The words come out muffled, but Chanyeol still understands them. “Is that… what if I say… I think I like you,” Starlight says after stumbling over his own words. Chanyeol’s brain doesn’t stop functioning, but it definitely reboots a few times.

“Oh.”

“Sorry.”

“Is this really the best time for a confession?” Chanyeol adds, trying to ease the situation. But he’s being a little serious too. They’re on duty waiting for an Asperity attack and Baekhyun is laying out his feelings.

“Sorry, again.”

“No, no, don’t be! It’s not like you purposely caught feelings and things just spill out. I get it,” Chanyeol says. He wants to reassure Starlight but doesn’t know how to exactly. 

It’s not like this has happened to him before by someone he likes back.

Starlight doesn’t look up at Chanyeol’s eye. But Chanyeol can’t help but notice how little lights come to Starlight’s cheeks like constellations. He reaches up with one gloved hand and runs his thumb on the light bearer’s cheek.

“I think I feel the same.”

“Oh… yay, I think,” Starlight responds with a poorly hidden smile. The lights on his face fade to a rosy blush color. 

“But,” Chanyeol starts.

“But…?”

Chanyeol sighs. “I heard Jongin say your real name. Baekhyun, right?” Baekhyun nods his head. There is no point in trying to hide it from Chanyeol anymore.

A beat of silence passes between the two superheroes. Chanyeol knows he shouldn’t, but he wants to. He wants to so badly and he can’t stop the single name falling from his tongue. Baekhyun deserves at least this much.

“Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun doesn’t ask what it means, or whose name it is. He knows.

“I guess this means we should start dating then?”

“I think so?” Chanyeol laughs lightly. “I’ve never really tried to date another super who just asked me out in the middle of a job.”

“Do I get to call you my boyfriend then?”

Chanyeol shrugs leaning in to give a small peck right below Baekhyun’s mask. they both know his answer.

And they’re ready to talk this out, about what becomes of them, when telltale sounds of Asperity come from behind them. Chanyeol whips around onto his feet with a fireball ready to land right in the villain’s face. Baekhyun is behind him on backup, his arms in position to try and blind Asperity.

But it’s different this time.

Chanyeol can’t put his finger on it, but Asperity is walking differently, like he’s anxious to approach the two supers. Chanyeol is the first to make a move. He swings a flaming hook to Asperity’s face. The villain catches it in his hand; a hiss of pain sneaks through his mask as his hand burns from the contact with Chanyeol. Baekhyun strikes with a beam of light that bends right underneath the mask. Asperity doesn’t so much as flinch at Baekhyun’s attack but keeps his hand against Chanyeol’s.

When the fire wielder pulls back his arm, Asperity flings his hands into the air. It’s a surrender. Baekhyun grabs onto Chanyeol before he has the chance to contact the villain again. No one says a word. Baekhyun sends a few spherical lights out into the air so everyone can see better.

“What do you want, Asperity?” Baekhyun spits out. The name is like venom on his tongue. Asperity only turns his head in Baekhyun’s direction. He doesn’t respond.

“We asked you a question.” Chanyeol sweeps his arm through the air, little wisps of fire coming off his fingertips. The wisps spread until they land in a half circle behind Asperity. Soon enough, a blaze is started, and Asperity has no place to run to. 

The Blue Phoenix and Starlight have final cornered Asperity.

Asperity stands still. He doesn’t flinch at the fire.

“I’ve come to ask a favor.”

Baekhyun lets out a scoffing laugh. “Oh please. If only you could see yourself now.” Asperity cocks his head. “You of all people coming to us for help! We should just kill you now where you stand!”

“But you won’t,” Asperity counters. “You can’t. You’re just the Blue Phoenix and Starlight. Two Alliance pigs who don’t try to see the world behind the mask you’ve pulled over yourself.”

“Again with the mask talk…” Chanyeol grumbles, turning towards Baekhyun when the smaller knocks him on the shoulder to gain his attention.

“Hey, I just had an interesting thought. Fuck this.”

Chanyeol smirks, trying his hardest not to laugh out loud at the profanity Baekhyun manages to spill as their greatest nemesis is cornered. One of the many reasons that Chanyeol has found Baekhyun has wormed his way into his heart.

“Would you consider working with me, with us?”

At Asperity’s question, the superheroes turn their attention back to the villain. 

“No.”

“We will never team with villains, no matter how powerful all of you low life shit eaters are.”

Asperity sighs, nodding his head as if he expected the answer. And with no words, he sits. Chanyeol is in disbelief, as is Baekhyun. During all of this, he sits. They could attack him, kill him in one swift movement. There’s no protection around him except for the fire blazing on.

Asperity remains.

“You two are ‘patriots and upstanding citizens’, no?” 

Chanyeol freezes. His mind flickers back to the director of Alliance, the one who assigns them the jobs. It’s his go-to compliment of the supers under his command, after all.

“What’s it to you?”

“I just don’t want my fellow brothers to fall for the government’s trap. I know many others that have, almost including myself, and it needs to come to an end. We can’t have more supers dying by their hand. By the director’s hand.”

“What sort of bullshit are you spewing?” Baekhyun spits out. Even if he is a had to deal with superhero and doesn’t always follow orders, he still has respect.

Asperity sighs again. “You won’t believe me.” 

“What reason have you given us to?” Chanyeol shakes his head.

The villain stands, dusting off the rubble and dirt from the back of his suit. He watches the two supers. Chanyeol takes in a deep breath and exhales, releasing smoke as he does so. His hands light up and he readies himself to strike Asperity again. This time around, Baekhyun doesn’t try to hold him back. 

“You die here, Asperity.” When Chanyeol takes that first step forward, the stone roof gives out beneath him. It’s a flashback to the first fight that Chanyeol had with Baekhyun as Starlight when the chasm opened under their feet. The stone caves in and Chanyeol tries to reach out for Baekhyun. He knows that he can save himself with a burst of fire to slow the blow. 

But Baekhyun can’t.

When Chanyeol wakes up, it’s only seconds after the building caved. He lies still, the breath knocked out of his chest. After a few seconds of gasping, he pushes himself up onto his forearms. Landing on his back was probably the worst way to go, and he’s lucky that nothing is broken.

A burst pipe from over his head is burst, spewing out musty water. Chanyeol grits his teeth at the feeling of his suit and skin being wet. He knows that his affinity will be weakened if he stays under the water for much longer, but Chanyeol can’t find a way to escape it. His mind is still too foggy from the fall.

Through the dust and smoke, Chanyeol can barely make out the untouched figure of Asperity. He retreats back into the shadows before a harsh crackling sound is heard. The fire wielder realizes that his flames are still burning the inside wreckage of the building. He tries to draw the fire in, to kill the flame, but he’s too weak.

“…Blue…”

“Starlight?!”

“…yeol.”

Chanyeol hears Baekhyun. It’s feeble and it’s faint and it’s impossible to find where he landed. The crushed cement and stone from above lets in little of the moonlight, and he can’t risk lighting his own fire in case something else starts to burn. 

“Hey, Starlight, I need to know where you are,” Chanyeol says as he attempts to keep the panic at bay. “Send me some lights, okay? Just a few so I can see…”

He hopes that Baekhyun has enough strength left to follow the request. 

Just when he’s about to start digging through the wreckage on his own, a trail of lights- each no bigger than firefly- light up in a path. Baekhyun ended up near where Chanyeol initially landed, but underneath a pile of stone. Chanyeol pushes aside all that he can of the pieces.

Baekhyun yelps in pain as he jostles an I-beam that collapsed with the explosion. 

“Chanyeol, stop.”

Chanyeol doesn’t, he keeps digging Baekhyun’s body out of the wreckage until he hits the beam again.

“I said stop!” He halts all movements at Baekhyun’s request. “Just go and save yourself. Let Asperity go this time, I don’t think we’ll catch him. It was all a trap to get us down here.”

The light bearer coughs and blood seeps out between his lips. That’s the sign that finally has Chanyeol examining what injuries Baekhyun has sustained. There’s the expected broken wrist, cuts and gashes, a few burns from Chanyeol’s fire.

And the I-beam that’s impaled through Baekhyun’s abdomen.

It’s a clean go from the front to the back. And there’s too much blood to just cauterize the wound shut after pulling the beam out. Chanyeol starts breathing heavily, tears coming to his eyes. Baekhyun’s not the one that’s supposed to die here. If anyone, it would be him. The rookie superhero, just like all of the others that the Alliance has sent in before him.

“No, no, no,” Chanyeol stutters out. “We were supposed to go on dates, and hold hands, and then Toben and Mongryong were going to be our flower bearers at the wedding.”

Baekhyun smiles briefly, enjoying the vision Chanyeol is giving him amidst the pain.

Someone walks up behind Chanyeol.

“Blue Phoenix, I don’t want to fight today,” Asperity draws out. Chanyeol turns to glare at him. In the dull lighting, his body seems shorter, not as muscular as before. Maybe it’s just the lights and the fall playing tricks on his mind. 

“Unless you can fix this, I don’t think it’s wise of you to stay much longer.” Chanyeol’s eyes grow to a hot blue the longer he spends staring down Asperity. Asperity makes a step forward to the pair, but Chanyeol lashes out with a tight blue flame that licks at Asperity’s throat. The villain reaches up in shock, the burn already oozing and smoldering. He takes a step back, making to leave the scene before him.

Chanyeol turns to whisper down to the unconscious frame of the other super. “Just hang in there Baekhyun…”

Asperity stops dead in his tracks. “Baekhyun?”

Chanyeol realizes his mistake too late. Asperity has learned Starlight’s true name- one of the worst things that could happen to a superhero. It’s all too easy to track someone down, even with only a first name to go off of. The fire wielder growls low in his throat as Asperity retraces his steps and kneels in front of the duo.

He kneels down to Chanyeol’s level. When he gets a burst of flames to the face, Asperity whips his head to the side to avoid the brunt of it before whispering. “We both have reason to save him. Please, just accept the help.”

“…fine.”

Asperity doesn’t move. Rather, he calls out for someone behind him. Chanyeol barely has time to make out another faceless mask all too similar to Asperity’s before it’s gone from sight. But in its place is someone Baekhyun had convinced him was kidnapped and not coming back. Hell, Baekhyun even believed it himself.

“Lay?”

Lay smiles despite the situation. His trademark dimples are the same as ever.

“We thought you were dead. He,” Chanyeol points to Asperity, “killed you.”

“Not quite, Blue…” Lay mumbles as he gets down on the ground to check out Baekhyun. “We have a lot of discussing to do. But first, let me see Starlight.”

Chanyeol clutches Starlight closer to his chest, not trusting the way Lay is so suddenly teaming up against the Alliance just like Asperity. “No.”

“Blue, please. We need to save him.”

“I’ll do it myself.” Even though he knows that pulling out the beam and cauterizing the wound will do little to help Baekhyun’s chances of survival, he also can’t entrust the job to Lay. Not now.

Lay sighs, turning back to look to Asperity standing off to the side. Asperity nods at the silent question hanging in the air, gesturing with a hand for Lay to do something. He reaches out, and before Chanyeol can have a say, Lay places his hand against Chanyeol’s temple.

The Blue Phoenix falls unconscious.

  
  


“Where… am I?” 

Chanyeol barely manages to mumble the words out as he sits up. He looks around, finding himself in his own room with his supersuit still on. When he touches his face, his mask is gone. Chanyeol swears under his breath, his heart rate increasing.

He swings his legs over the side of the mattress and onto the floor. The house isn’t quiet. He hears murmurs of conversation rising up from the living room and the clank of dishes against the stove. Chanyeol trudges down the stairs. His body is still aching from the fall. His feet land on the soft carpet of the living room and he finds Lay still hovering over Baekhyun. White bandages cover the length of Baekhyun’s exposed torso. Baekhyun’s eyes are cracked open, and they track Chanyeol’s movements with fatigue.

“You’re awake.”

“What the fuck happened? What did you do to me?”

Lay holds his hands out to Chanyeol for him to calm down. Residual green vining colors fade from his wrists. The pastel colors indicate that Lay had been healing Baekhyun at a slower pace as not to shock his body. Chanyeol had undergone Lay’s same healing technique multiple times in the past. “I just put you to sleep. You weren’t going to let us help Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol nods, remembering the chain of events that happened right before he blacked out. He sits down onto the couch, propping Baekhyun’s head up in his own lap. The light bearer gives a tired smile; a little nudge of his head has Chanyeol knowing everything is going to be alright. Lay isn’t called the best around for no reason. As he does so, he looks around for Mongryong and Toben, expecting the little dogs to be barking and trying to get their owners’ attentions. Voices carry out from the kitchen followed by Toben’s huffing barks. 

“Who else is here?”

The person in the kitchen must have been listening in as they come out with a plate full of freshly cooked food on a plate. It’s Jongin. But Chanyeol has no idea as to why their neighbor would be here.

“We made some stew, it’s good for healing,” Jongin says as he holds out the plate for Chanyeol to take. His other hand is cradled against his stomach, as if he doesn’t want to jostle it around too much.

Jongin’s hand is bandaged, burned skin peeking out above his wrist.

“You’re…” Chanyeol swallows the words, not wanting to say them out loud. He knows that wound- he’s the one that caused it after all. But Jongin’s silence prompts him on. “You’re Asperity. That’s why Baekhyun’s light never worked.”

“Really, I should be his worst enemy,” Jongin tries to joke, but it falls short. “There’s nothing he can do to attack me. Blind me? Won’t work. Distract me with illusions? I already can’t see reality. His light can’t touch me.”

“And actually, we’re Asperity,” another man corrects. There’s no venom in his tone as he walks out from the kitchen. Chanyeol tenses, finding himself too exhausted to pull up even a single flame to encase his arm. He doesn’t question the declaration, seeing as this man has the same burn marks along his throat that Chanyeol gave to Asperity earlier in their fight. While he doesn’t recongizes him, Baekhyun certainly does.

“Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun rasps out, trying to move to a better position to see him.

The name triggers Chanyeol’s memory. It’s the old best friend that was one of the first few to go missing, and Jongin’s husband. Kyungsoo comes over to Baekhyun. He kneels by Baekhyun and hugs his best friend with as much force as he can without injuring him further. 

“I’ve missed you Baekhyun.”

“Where did you go?”

Kyungsoo pulls back, swiping the bangs away from Baekhyun’s forehead. “I never left. The Alliance knew I went rogue, so I went into hiding in our basement…”

“Why would the Alliance care?”

“Who do you think sends all of the villains out?” Jongin asks, his voice growing in volume. “It’s the Alliance! They want positive publicity. And the so-called villains get their fair share of money when all is said and done. The only ones who don’t get anything in return are the superheroes.”

“You’re lying,” Chanyeol says. “We get plenty.” He turns to Baekhyun for help, but the light bearer is staring at his best friends with nothing more than curiosity. A hand is subconsciously rubbing at where the I-beam was.

“How do you know?” Baekhyun asks. He shoots a glare to Chanyeol not to speak out. Chanyeol feels like a whipped husband already by not saying anything.

“I worked for the Alliance for five years, Baek. Sure, Jongin technically wasn’t a part of it, but he helped me out more times than I can count. We know what happened in there. It wasn’t until a villain who wasn’t too committed to her job told us what was happening. The closer we looked, the more we saw she was right.”

“Why though? Why would they set up such a huge scheme like this?” Chanyeol asks, not understanding any of the logic behind it.

“The only cure for fear is blame. And if the public has someone to blame, a supervillain, then they won’t turn on the government itself. The Alliance is a whole division designed just to get public support and trust fund money.”

“And Lay? What about you? You never were a frontline superhero fighting. You always did reconnaissance afterwards.”

The group’s attention shifts to the healer leaning against the wall. Even while he’s half asleep on his feet from all of the healing, he nods in agreeance to Kyungsoo and Jongin. “People spill things when they’re half dead or dying. I’ve heard enough secrets to put me right at the top of their shit list.”

“But what about all the people you guys kidnapped? The kids?!”

“Kids are more involved in everything than we give them credit for. And they are excellent bartering chips.”

“Besides, the nation’s critics desperately crave child murder!” Jongin chimes in with a goofy smile. “Actually, they were all somehow related to the Alliance- trainees you could say. All the adults were connected too. They’re safe in a remote location,” Jongin says. 

“Where?”

“I can’t tell you that. But it’s more tropical than here.”

“How?”

“Is this fifty questions or something?” Jongin grumbles, he sits down on the stair steps. Only Kyungsoo and Baekhyun hear him who let out little snickers. If the world starts crumbling down around them, as long as they have each other, they will be fine.  _ Well, _ Baekhyun thinks as he sneaks a glance to Chanyeol,  _ each other plus Chanyeol.  _ “Did you two ever figure out our affinities?”

“Hydrokinesis.”

“Electricity control.”

“Maybe… shadows or something.”

“Being evil.”

“Being mean by not telling me you also had powers.”

Kyungsoo laughs at the back and forth guesses between Baekhyun and Chanyeol. They really are two peas in a pod. “Close but no. And you never told us you were a superhero either, Baek. You can’t blame us there.”

Baekhyun shrugs, hissing slightly in pain when he shifts at a bad angle. 

Chanyeol redirects the conversation back to the two of Asperity. “What was it, really?”

“Soo has what you could call… force, or maybe strength? It’s utilized through the ground and earth so it’s not like he  _ has  _ super strength,” Jongin rambles. “And I have teleportation.”

The conversation dies out. Chanyeol has questions- plenty of them! - but he can’t find the words to do so. Maybe because he knows what the answer to most of them will be. It’s not like he does superhero work for the Alliance, he does it for the good of the people. Call him a moral jackass but helping others should always come first.

And there’s been a few times the Alliance has done some shady buisness, like when Chanyeol took down the Panda. He was a notorious villain, one that Chanyeol finally had the chance to bring down in a fiery blaze. But just when he was about to reveal his identity, the Alliance showed up and escorted Chanyeol out. 

Same with Jack Frost.

Same with Mao, the one psychic mind reader.

The more Chanyeol thinks, the more he realizes how in the dark he’s been kept about everything. The only villain he’s successfully taken down without intervention by the Alliance was Sehun’s cousin, and that’s because Sehun let something slip that Chanyeol went on to pursue alone. Nothing else. All of the constant updates needed on Asperity, but never needed on any of the other villains makes sense now. The Alliance knew what was going to happen before, they didn’t need day-to-day updates.

But it was a shot in the dark with Asperity, a villain not of their own making.

“Anybody want a drink?”

Chanyeol stands before there’s an answer to grab the bottles of liquor from the kitchen. Rum, whiskey, wine, a fruity vodka of Baekhyun’s, he brings it all. On the way back, he even manages to snag a few shot glasses with his free hand. He deposits them on the table and pours out a line of shots of all types. Lay takes two, handing one to Jongin on the stairs.

“So what, we do this thing now? Call in some reinforcements?” Chanyeol questions. In the back of his mind, there’s a voice telling him to call Sehun. The younger will be on his side- he always has been.

“Oh no,” Kyungsoo says. He takes the shot Chanyeol passes to him and downs it. “Tomorrow we start the siege on the Alliance. Tonight we get wild.”


End file.
